Transparency is needed to ensure that Irish students don’t face similar issues when receiving their leaving cert results as some students in Scotland, according to a Cork TD.

Sinn Féin Education spokesperson Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire has called for the publication of the standardisation model this year, following flaws in the Scottish system.

Pass rates for pupils in the most deprived data zones were reduced by 15.2% in comparison with 6.9% for pupils from the most affluent backgrounds.

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon apologised to those affected - seeming to acknowledge those in more deprived areas were hardest hit.

Deputy Ó Laoghaire raised concerns that the predicted grades system proposed here in Ireland is similar, however he added that it was vital that the same flaws aren’t replicated here.

“The issue is, that we are in the dark as to what the standardisation model will be for our Leaving Certificate students this year. I have repeatedly asked the Minister to publish this. She has not done so. I am once again urging her today to do so.

“It is vital that teachers, pupils and parents can have confidence in this new model. Transparency about what the model entails will be key in ensuring they can have confidence in it. I would question how they can have confidence that the model proposed by the Minister will guarantee fairness, if they do not know what the model applying to them will be,” he said.

The Cork South Central TD has also previously expressed concern about the potential for school profiling, or that the calculations model will be affected by schools who are disadvantaged or who have had low results in the past.

“All students deserve to be treated fairly and receive grades which affect their ability. We cannot see students unfairly marked down simply because they come from a disadvantaged background or because they went to a particular school,” he said.

“The Minister must immediately examine what has happened in Scotland, and make the adjustments necessary to ensure that these issues are not replicated here.

“The Government must also publish details of the standardisation model it is using, to ensure there can be full transparency and confidence in its fairness,” he concluded.